United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Central Asia

Kazakhstan plans to enhance capacity in parallel financial investigations with support from UNODC and CARICC

On 10-11 March 2021, UNODC jointly with CARICC and the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and with the financial support of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section of the U.S. Embassy to the Republic of Kazakhstan conducted a working meeting on “Enhancing capacity of relevant authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan in conducting parallel financial investigations and identifying financial flows from illicit drug trafficking”.

Mr. Atageldy Yazliev, CARICC Adviser/Head of the Department on International Operations Coordination, noted in his speech that combating organized drug crime today requires a systemic approach, including measures to weaken its financial resources. Detection and confiscation of criminal assets in a number of the world's leading states are seen as an effective means of weakening financial resources of transnational crime and containing it, as well as a way of investing in efforts to counter illicit drug trafficking.

The representatives of competent authorities from the General Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan took part in live discussion. In the course of the meeting, the GPO representative requested partner agencies to involve the GPO into the parallel financial investigations more actively despite the fact the GPO holds the supervisory role. MIA representative emphasized the fact of close cooperation with CARICC in terms of analytic expertise and admitted that MIA relies on CARICC’s analytical resources in investigations. The national partners agreed and support proactive cooperation between the agencies to enhance the capacity of competent authorities in investigating parallel financial crimes and disrupting the financial flows from illicit drug trafficking.

During the meeting, Aliaksandr Vadziany, UNODC Adviser on anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism provided an insight on the international experience in combating money laundering, the requirements of international standards for conducting parallel financial investigations, and trends in the legalization of proceeds from illegal drug trafficking.

It was noted that the interagency cooperation and cross-border mechanism of interaction between law enforcement, fiscal bodies and financial intelligence units plays a key role in disrupting the financial resources of criminal structures.